


Through the Looking Glass

by osaycanyousolo



Series: The Adventures of Klingenmoe [2]
Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-24
Updated: 2016-11-21
Packaged: 2018-06-04 03:37:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6639832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/osaycanyousolo/pseuds/osaycanyousolo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Morgan is obsessed with finding out if O'Solo is real. Meghan reluctantly goes along with her detective scheme.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Gals Are Back in Town

**Author's Note:**

> Morgan and Meghan are roommates at January camp. Morgan approaches Meghan about spying on O'Solo.

            “Kling!” Morgan screeched as she jumped at Meghan, wrapping her up in a bear hug. Meghan had barely stepped through the doors of the hotel they would call home for the better part of a month at January camp before she was attacked by the young midfielder.

            “Oof!” Meghan responded as Morgan nearly knocked the wind out of her. “Dude Moe, it hasn’t been that long!”

            “I know, but still! Now that you’re all moved up to Portland, I’ve missed you ok? God, don’t make it weird,” Morgan laughed, releasing the defender.

            Meghan smiled and picked up her bags where she had dropped them on the floor. “So who’s my roommie?” she asked, raising her eyebrows at Moe’s excited bouncing around.

            “Wait for it…” Morgan replied, wide eyed with excitement. “It’s me!”

            “Oh god, seriously?” Meghan exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

            “I know right?!?” Morgan said gleefully, bouncing on her toes and clapping her hands together rapidly. “It’s going to be just like old times!”

            “Dude I moved out right before Christmas. It hasn’t even been that long,” Meghan pointed out.

            “I know but still. We’re roommies!” Morgan responded, clearly still excited about the idea of them being reunited.

            “Well, this will be an adventure. You have my key?” Meghan asked, holding out her hand.

            “Um, yeah,” Morgan replied, digging into her pocket and handing Meghan the key. Meghan thanked her and headed for the elevators. Morgan ran after her and began the rundown of who had already arrived and how excited she was for all her little buddies to be in camp with her this year.

            Meghan half-listened to Morgan ramble on, all the while trying to remember how many pairs of socks she had packed and if she’d thrown in her new conditioner. They arrived in the room and Morgan let them in, still talking about how excited she was that she knew everyone in camp this year and how weird that was. Morgan had already claimed the bed closest to the door, so Meghan flung her bags on the empty bed by the window, eager to make sure her hair products were all included. As she was rifling through her bags, she became acutely aware that Morgan had stopped talking. She looked over her shoulder to see Morgan standing with her arms crossed, eyes narrowed, and clearly annoyed. “What?” Meghan asked, turning to face her.

            “Did you hear anything I said?” Morgan asked pointedly.

            “Yeah, blah blah, you know everyone. Blah, blah, Bean Squad. What else was there?” Meghan responded, placing her hands on her hips.

            “Ugh Meghan, you kill me sometimes. Ok look, I was saying that there’s something that’s been bothering me and I need your help,” she replied, sitting down on her bed and dropping her hands in her lap.

            “You sound so serious. This better not be some stupid scheme you’ve concocted. It better be something worth my time,” Meghan stated, a slender eyebrow raised at the younger player.

            Morgan squirmed under the pressure of Meghan’s stare and said, “Um, well… I think it’s important…”

            “Morgan…” Meghan prompted, drawing out the midfielder’s name.

            “Well, I mean. It’s bothering me. And I’m not exactly sure how to put this,” Morgan told her, looking away, embarrassment flashing across her features briefly.

            “Seriously spit it out dude,” Meghan said, turning back to her disheveled bag and rifling through it. She could feel Morgan’s stare on her back as she pulled out her various hair care items in preparation to take over the sink in the bathroom.

            “Um, so I got here like with the first wave or whatever this morning and you weren’t here yet and Steph and Sam and everybody wasn’t here yet and so I was sitting around the lobby drinking coffee in one of those big chairs playing with my phone and, um…” Morgan started and then trailed off.

            Meghan reluctantly turned back around. She crossed her arms and said, “I’m gonna be 85 by the time you get this out. What the hell is it?”

            “Dude, I’m seriously trying to tell you something here!” Morgan blurted out, raising her hands in annoyance.

            “Ugh, yeah well you are doing kind of a crappy job!” Meghan replied, throwing her hands in the hair. Morgan fixed her with a look and Meghan muttered an apology before sitting down on her own bed. She dropped her hands in her lap and relaxed her face into what she hoped was a less annoyed look. “Ok Morgan, what did you see in the lobby?”

            “O’Solo,” Morgan whispered.

            “What?” Meghan asked, blinking at her in disbelief. “You saw them kissing?”

            “What? No!” Morgan replied, waving off Meghan’s incredulous look. “But I saw them walk in together and they didn’t see me. They walked in all close together and Hope was giving Kelley that look.”

            “Oh my god, that’s it?” Meghan scoffed. She rolled her eyes and stood back up. She made to turn back to her bag, but paused briefly, her eyebrows knitted together in concentration. “That look?” she inquired turning back to Morgan.

            Morgan smiled and nodded in return. “Yeah you know, that look. The heart eyes look,” she said conspiratorially, knowing that she’d piqued the defenders interest.  

            “Hm,” Meghan replied noncommittally, her eyes still darting in thought.

            “And,” Morgan started slowly, scooting to the edge of the bed. “It looked like they were holding hands when they walked in. I’d just looked up from my phone and it looked like Kelley had just dropped Hope’s hand. She was walking all close to her too.”

            “KO has no space bubble, you know that. That doesn’t mean anything,” Meghan told her, waving her hand dismissively.

            “But Kling come on. We wondered back in August if they were O’Soloing it. You have to admit that they were a little shady on every stop of the victory tour. Especially the last few games. I really think there is something going on between them,” Morgan replied, excitement creeping into her voice.

            “Ok, so what? You going to just spy on them or something? Play a little detective on Hope and Kelley? Yeah, ok that’s gonna work,” Meghan snorted, tilting her head on Morgan’s direction.

            “Um, yeah actually. And I was hoping you’d help,” Morgan admitted, raising her eyebrows.

            “No,” Meghan said simply.

            “Come on Kling!” Morgan pleaded.

            “No Moe. This is a bad idea. Kelley I can deal with, but I’m really not interested in catching shit from Hope,” Meghan replied, shaking her head at the younger player.

            “You’re not afraid of her are you?” Morgan teased.

            Meghan shot her a look before answering, “No, I’m not actually. But you need to be wary of her. We got Soloed a couple months ago and you’d do well to remember that. Just because all this internet shit has died down does not mean we need to start it back up again. And we do not need to give Hope a reason to get going again. I still don’t know what she was up to, but Pinoe was right. Everything she does is on purpose. Let this go.”

            “But I can’t!” the younger player whined. “You know I can’t.”

            “Stop shipping them dude! They are your actual teammates! It’s getting creepy!” Meghan shot back.

            “Ok, number one, you know I can’t just stop. Number two, you ship them too so jump off your pedestal. And number three, I _need_ to know! Seriously, Tumblr has been blowing up with them lately. The fic is out of control. There’s this whole writing fics based on songs thing that everyone is doing and it’s killing me. I have to know Meghan. I have to!” Morgan replied.

            “Morgan this is a bad idea,” Meghan said, biting her lip in thought.

            “That wasn’t a no,” Morgan pointed out hopefully.

            “No that wasn’t a no, but this isn’t a good idea. You can’t just let Tumblr whip you into a shipping frenzy. You actually know these people. It’s like we’re going through the looking glass this time. It’s dangerous. This could blow all kinds of shit up,” Meghan cautioned, her hands returning to her hips and her head tilted to the side.

            “I know. I know ok? But don’t you want to know? Isn’t the wondering just killing you?” Morgan prodded, her eyes widening in excitement.

            “No,” Meghan replied quickly. Morgan fixed her with a look and she amended, “Ok, yes maybe a little now that you’re making such a big deal about it!”

            “Yay!” Morgan responded, with a round of incessant clapping.

            Meghan rolled her eyes before responding, “Fine, do you have a plan?”

            “Possibly,” Morgan told her. “But’s it’s only the beginning outline stages of a plan. That’s what I need you for. I need the mastermind.”

            “Dear god, flattery will get you everywhere won’t it?” Meghan asked her. Morgan nodded excitedly. “Ok fine, I’m in. What’s the plan?”


	2. Hi Ho, Hi Ho

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meghan and Morgan drum up some reinforcements to begin Phase One.

            “I’m going to say this for the record. This is a terrible plan,” Meghan announced, randomly looking up from her phone from the perch on her bed.

            Morgan threw her hands in the air and replied, “Will you please stop saying that? It’s mostly your plan!”

            “Oh I’m aware. It doesn’t make it a good plan though. It’s like Moe White and the three dorks,” Meghan countered. Morgan’s retort about Meghan being the only dwarf sized one in the bunch was reduced to some annoyed mumbling with the loud knock at the door. She shot Meghan one last aggravated look as she made her way to the door. Morgan opened the door to reveal Steph, Sam, and Emily.

            “What up Kling-a-ling?!” Steph greeted Meghan with a wide smile. Morgan snorted a laugh and shot Meghan an amused look.

            “Hey Bean Squad,” Meghan nodded at the younger players, making room on the bed for someone to sit. “Hey Steph, if you ever call me that again, I’m gonna cleat you.”

            “Alright Klingenburger, alright. I hear you,” Steph said, her mischievous smile growing as she plopped down on Morgan’s bed.

            “So what’s up Moe?” Sam asked curiously when she was seated next to Steph on the bed.

            Morgan looked expectantly at Meghan as she sat on the edge of her bed. “Oh hell no. This is all you tiger. You made me do all the heavy lifting last time. This one is your deal,” Meghan laughed, shaking her head.

            All eyes turned expectantly to Morgan, who sighed dramatically. “Oh my god fine. Ok, so do you guys know about O’Solo?” she asked pointedly.

            She was greeted with reluctant nods. “Yeah what about Hope and Kelley?” Sam asked, clearly confused, yet interested.

            “Ok, so you guys know all about the fans and the shipping and stuff right?” Morgan asked nervously. Meghan’s smile grew in response, clearly enjoying not having to be the catalyst this go around.

            “Of course. Doesn’t everybody?” Emily asked with a laugh.

            “Um, well I don’t know actually,” Morgan started, looking uncertainly at Meghan, who gave her a subtle shake of the head in response. “You guys forget that we have quite the wine mom contingent on this team. But anyway, that doesn’t matter. The point is I think O’Solo is real.”

            “Dude really? Like for real, for real? Hope and Kelley, doing the dirty. Even though Hope is married? And isn’t Kelley with somebody?” Steph asked, raising an eyebrow at Morgan. Sam and Emily wore similarly incredulous looks.

            “For real she does,” Meghan piped up with a sigh.

            “Dude why? I mean I know the fans love Krashlyn and they are together, but O’Solo? I dunno Bean,” Steph replied, shaking her head in disbelief.

            “Ok so like way back in the fall before you all got called up, we had a little incident-“ Morgan started, but was interrupted by a very loud snort from Meghan. Morgan swiped at her, connecting with her knee, which sent Meghan into a bout of squeals. When the fighting ceased, Morgan continued, “So anyway Hope and Kelley and some other people found out about the shipping stuff and the way Hope and Kellley were acting around each other made us wonder. So then this morning before any of you jerks got here, I was all alone in the lobby and I saw them walk in together, looking like they were just holding hands. They were all heart eyed and everything.”

            “And you ship them so that’s why you have to know?” Emily asked simply.

            “Yep!” Meghan interjected before Morgan had a chance to answer.

            “Ugh, whatever. But essentially yes. I’d very much like to know if they are together because Hope orchestrated some ridiculous action last fall for reasons that we still can’t figure out. But we need your help,” Morgan explained.

            “How can we help?” Sam asked.

            “We need recon. Strictly observe and report,” Meghan replied. Morgan nodded along with her. “For the first phase, we really need to know how often they are together and if anyone sees anything suspicious.”

            “Suspicious how?” Sam inquired, her eyebrows knitting together in concentration.

            “Like casual touching or heart eyed looks or lingering or whatever. Anything that would normally send Tumblr into a frenzy,” Morgan responded, with Meghan nodding in agreement behind her.

            “Ok, yeah, that’s easy,” Sam shrugged and looked to Emily, who nodded in reply.

            Steph pulled out her phone and said, “I think this calls for reinforcements.” She put the phone to her ear and the person on the other end picked up quickly. “Hey. Yeah. Klingenmoe. Ok thanks.” She hung up and looked at Meghan and Morgan’s confused faces. “Ok, so I’m bringing in a ringer.”

            “Good call dude,” Sam replied. Emily nodded in agreement.

            “Dude, your squad is weird,” Meghan said, side-eyeing the younger players.

            “Dude, you’re weird,” Morgan shot back. They were interrupted by the engaging of the key-card lock on their door. The door opened to reveal Alyssa, who casually walked into the room and pulled up a chair.

            “How did you…?” Meghan asked before trailing off. “You know what, nevermind.”

            “So what’s the situation?” Alyssa asked quietly.

            “Bean thinks O’Solo is real and needs proof to still her shipping heart,” Steph summed up. Morgan nodded in reply, her cheeks pinkening in embarrassment.

            Alyssa nodded silently for a second, appearing to mull this over. Morgan looked to Meghan nervously, who shrugged lightly in reply. “Ok, I’m in,” Alyssa replied simply.

            “Ok, it’s on then. What’s the deal?” Steph announced. Emily and Sam gave their agreement via emphatic nods and Morgan let loose a sigh of relief.

            “Ok, so phase one is figuring out who they are rooming with, who they are sitting next to at meals, and what there are doing during our downtime,” Morgan relayed, relieved that everyone was going along with the plan.

            “Ok chief!” Steph replied, offering Morgan a two fingered salute.

            “Want to meet back here tomorrow night to share observations?” Sam asked, smiling at the idea of being a part of a covert ops mission.

            “Great idea,” Morgan agreed with a smile. This was working out a lot better than she had anticipated. Secretly she was glad that they hadn’t laughed her out of the room.

            “You need Pinoe,” Alyssa stated, drawing everyone’s attention in the room toward her. Truthfully, Meghan had forgotten she was even there.

            “Pinoe? Yeah I don’t know. She almost got us in trouble last time,” Meghan replied, shaking her head.

            “No, Hope almost got you in trouble last time. Pinoe can help. Skype her,” Alyssa insisted.

            Morgan and Meghan looked at each other quizzically. “Um, well I guess it couldn’t hurt,” Morgan said hesitantly.

            Alyssa nodded in response. Meghan shrugged and raised her eyebrows. “I mean she knows Hope better than most people. And she gave us advice last time. It can’t really hurt, can it?” Meghan asked.

            “I guess not,” Morgan shrugged. “Thanks you guys.”

            “Cool, well we out. We’ll meet here in 24,” Steph said, standing up. The rest of the squad followed her out the door.

            “Bye guys!” Morgan called after them.

            When the door closed behind them, Meghan turned to Morgan with a concerned look. “Alyssa though? I think she’s a wildcard.”

            “The Silent Assassin? Are you kidding? She’s perfect. She won’t give us up. Plus, she’s tight with them because of the Patriots. They will be hanging out all the time because of the playoffs. I think it’s a good thing,” Morgan replied.

            “But she’s also tight with Hope, do you think she’ll tell her?” Meghan wondered.

            “Do you? You’ve spent more time with them,” Morgan pointed out.

            “Um, I don’t think so. I mean who knows what goes on during those keeper-only sessions,” Meghan replied, worry creasing her brow.

            “I think it will be fine. If not, we’ll play it off as a fan thing. That’s our back-up plan right?” Morgan clarified, anxiety growing on her face.

            “No, yeah totally. It’s a solid plan. Alyssa just wasn’t a part of it. And neither is Pinoe, but she’s got a point. We might need to get some history from good old Peens. It might help us know what to look for,” Meghan reasoned.

            “Ok, if you’re sure. We’ll give her a call tomorrow. It’ll give her gimpy ass something to do,” Morgan replied, nodding in agreement.

            “Ok, cool. ‘Project Spy on O’Solo’ is a go,” Meghan stated with a thumbs up.

            “That’s a terrible name,” Morgan responded with a laugh.

            “What? Do you think you can do better?” Meghan scoffed, flinging a pillow at the younger player.

            “Than that? God yes. What about ‘Operation O’Solo?’” Morgan asked.

            Meghan considered it momentarily, but shook her head and replied, “No, if they hear it, they will know it’s about them.”

            “Ok then, I’ll think on it. I bet Pinoe would have a really great name for it. She’s ridiculous like that,” Morgan stated, walking into the bathroom. “Although chances are at least 5 of the 7 options she comes up with will be hilariously inappropriate.”

            “Ah yeah, I miss Pinoe already,” Meghan agreed. “I wonder what she will have in store for us.”


	3. Mirror Mirror on the Wall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klingenmoe consult Pinoe about their Operation O'Solo.

            “You call her,” Morgan said quickly, scooting away from the computer resting on the small table under the window.

            “No, you call her,” Meghan said, crossing her arms and shooting Morgan a pointed look from the corner of her bed.

            “Come on Kling, you call her,” Morgan whined, plopping down on her own bed. Meghan shook her head calmly, to which Morgan stuck out her lower lip and pouted. “Please?”

            “No, why should I be the one to call her? This whole thing is your idea. Just do it already,” Meghan refused, rolling her eyes at the younger player.

            “Yeah but it’s Pinoe and who knows what she’s gonna say and you’re so much better at this!” Morgan insisted.

            “No. I’m not arguing with you over this anymore. I refuse to be the spokesperson for Operation Catch O’Solo in the Act. This is your deal,” Meghan argued.

            “But Kli-ing! Come on!” Morgan begged, her eyebrows shooting up hopefully.

            “No Mo-oe,” Meghan countered, her head shaking with the drawn out syllables.

            “Fine, we won’t call her then,” Morgan replied, returning Meghan’s head shake with a head shake of her own.

            “Fine, don’t call her. But don’t-,” the rest of Meghan’s tirade was lost to the distinct Skype ringtone suddenly blaring from Morgan’s laptop speakers.

            “Shit, it’s Pinoe,” Morgan said after jumping off the bed, nerves coloring her voice.

            “Dude, answer it,” Meghan directed, moving from her own bed to one of the chairs in front of the table.

            Morgan shot Meghan an apprehensive look and answered the call. Suddenly Pinoe’s smirking face filled the screen. “What’s up my favorite little shits? What took so long? Were you arguing over who was going to call me?”

            Meghan shot a look in Morgan’s direction before answering, “Something like that. How you feeling Peens? How’s the knee?”

            “It’s all rehab and rainbows from here on out. But for real it’s good. I bet Sera’s glad I’m off the painkillers. There were a few-,” Pinoe replied, but suddenly stopped as Sera plopped down beside her on the couch.

            “Oh my god you guys, you have no idea. She was high as a kite. She decided she was a cat trapped in a human body for a little while and all she would eat that night was salmon balls. She sat on the couch meowing randomly and swiping at Chichi. It was ridiculous,” Sera told them, barely able to contain her laughter.

            Meghan cackled as Pinoe’s look of betrayal spoke volumes. “Oh. My. God! Sera I love you!” Meghan squeaked out, unable to contain her laughter. Morgan clapped and nodded while laughing beside her.

            “She was licking her hand and pretending to clean behind her ears before she went to bed,” Sera told them, her smirk growing into a wide smile.

            “Will you shut up!” Pinoe exclaimed, smacking her leg playfully.

            “Sorry, sorry! I’m not sorry!” Sera said with a laugh. “Bye Klingenmoe!” she called out as she got up from the couch and moved out of view.

            “Oh my god,” Meghan sighed, her smile still wide. “Maybe we should call you Purrnoe from now on.”

            “That was a terrible pun Kling. I expect more from you. Not from Morgan mind you, but you’re better than that,” Pinoe retorted, a smile playing at the corners of her lips.

            “Hey!” Morgan exclaimed, while Meghan rolled her eyes at Pinoe’s attempt at deflection.

            “So anyway, you called?” Pinoe stated, redirecting the conversation.

            “Actually, you called, but whatever,” Meghan pointed out.

            “Ok, fine, I called because Alys said I should expect a call from you and I got tired of waiting,” Pinoe told them. “And don’t forget that you text me to ask me if I was around to Skype later.”

            “Point taken,” Meghan conceded.

            “So anyway, what do you want? I heard a rumor that you are stalking O’Solo,” Pinoe said, raising her eyebrow.

            Meghan looked to Morgan and leaned back in her chair. Morgan sighed and turned to Pinoe sheepishly, “Yeah, so I sorta saw Kelley and Hope walking together through the lobby yesterday and they were being all cute and looked like maybe they had been holding hands and then I started to, like, wonder if they are real and then I like needed to know so I recruited Kling and some other people and yeah. Alyssa said we should call you for advice or whatever.”

            “Well did you catch them making out?” Pinoe asked pointedly.

            “Well, no, but they looked all coupley,” Morgan said slowly, a small frown pulling at her lips.

            “Yeah well, that doesn’t mean shit with those two. You weren’t around then, but Kling will remember how ‘coupley’ they were in London,” Pinoe responded, shaking her head slightly.

            “See? I told you!” Meghan exclaimed, slapping Morgan on the arm.

            “No! That’s crap! You agreed with me that something could be up! You can’t go back on it now just because Pinoe said they are always coupley,” Morgan replied, a finger pointing accusingly at Meghan.

            “Yes, I agreed that something could be up, but it could also be that Kelley just can’t stop hanging off people,” Meghan countered calmly. “And Pinoe knows that.”

            “Yes, Pinoe does know that. As the person who has spent the most time with the lovely O’Solo, I agree. It honestly could be nothing or it could be everything. It’s super hard to tell. Many have wondered, but they’ve never been caught. Or at least no one has lived to tell the tale if they did catch them. So your plan is to stalk them and find out?” Pinoe asked.

            “Yeah. Well, it’s more observing and gathering intel than stalking,” Morgan replied as Meghan nodded in agreement.

            “Well you better fucking hope they don’t catch you because there will be hell to pay. Hope will have your asses. And then she will make Kelley have your asses. And then she will tell Carli and Carli will have your asses,” Pinoe warned, pointing back and forth between the two of them.

            “I’d rather no one had my ass,” Morgan mumbled quietly, shooting a little side eye at Meghan.

            “Then we should try not to get caught, right?” Meghan proposed, rolling her eyes at the younger player.

            “Yeah great plan. You guys are pros at being sneaky,” Pinoe interjected sarcastically.

            “Rude and categorically untrue,” Meghan replied, narrowing her eyes at Pinoe.

            “Completely true. Remember the internet thing? You two were shit at keeping that under wraps. Everyone found out!” Pinoe argued, wagging her head emphatically.

            “Yeah and we still never found out what the hell Hope was up to. Pinoe’s right, we need to be careful. That shit is going to come back and bite us,” Meghan agreed reluctantly.

            “So you two geniuses have a plan right? Pinkie and the Brain style?” Pinoe asked.

            “So who is Pinkie and who is the Brain?” Morgan wondered aloud.

            “I’m pretty sure we know who the Brain is Moe,” Meghan said with a snort.

            “Seconded,” Pinoe snickered and then winked and Morgan’s offended look.

            “Anyway, yes, we have a plan. A very loose plan. For now, we and a few associates will observe and gather data. Then based on the results, we will create a second phase,” Meghan said, turning back to the computer.

            “Yeah, Alys said you got the Beantown Contingent involved,” Pinoe replied.

            “Yeah, Moe’s Bean Squad is always hanging around, so I figured it would throw off suspicion,” Meghan told her.

            “Hm, that’s not a bad idea you know. They are loud and always in everyone’s business so they won’t be suspicious,” Pinoe agreed. “But you need to be really careful. Even I don’t know what Hope was up to last time and I’m still pissed she tried to blame me. If you ever get the answer to that question let me know.”

            “Will do Pinoe. Thanks for your input on Operation O’Solo,” Morgan said.

            “Dude you can’t call it that,” Pinoe replied, shaking her head.

            “See? That’s what I said!” Meghan exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

            “Yes because, Operation Catch O’Solo in the Act is so much better,” Morgan responded, crossing her arms in annoyance.

            “Yeah, that’s terrible too,” Pinoe snorted.

            “Fine, whatever, what should we call it dude?” Meghan asked the injured midfielder.

            “Um, it has to be something interesting and to do with them, but only loosely and requires explanation. Hm, ok, so I like it being an operation. That gives it some weight. The phases are a nice touch. I wonder if you could do something with their numbers,” Pinoe mused.

            “Wouldn’t that be obvious?” Meghan pointed out.

            “Yeah probably. Ok, what about like… uh… ooh! What about like where they live? Like mashing Seattle and New Jersey together?” Pinoe asked.

            “What like Seattle Jersey? Or New Seattle?” Morgan proposed.

            “No that’s too simple. What about Sea Jersey? Or Sea Blue?” Meghan offered.

            “Sea Jay,” Pinoe said. “That’s it. Operation Sea Jay. Sea for Seattle and Jay for the J in Jersey.”

            “Dude, Sea Jays aren’t even a real thing!” Morgan replied.

            “Yeah well neither are Seahawks, but don’t tell anybody from Seattle that,” Pinoe responded.

            “So Operation Sea Jay?” Morgan asked, turning to Meghan.

            “Operation Sea Jay,” Meghan agreed with a nod.

            “Let the games begin!” Pinoe exclaimed with a laugh and a bout of excited hand clapping.

            “May the odds be ever in our favor,” Meghan said with a smirk.


	4. The Game is Afoot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meghan sits alone at breakfast while Morgan entertains the Bean Squad. One of the targets of Operation Sea Jay come to chat and Meghan sees something interesting.

            Meghan took her plate piled high with fruits and pastries to the end of the long table. She rolled her eyes at the burst of laughter from the other end, where Morgan was holding court with the Bean Squad, undoubtedly discussing some adventure they’d had as a part of the youth team. She sighed while pouring coffee into her mug. It was going to be a long month of trying to ignore the youths.

            Last night had been a circus in their room. The Bean Squad had arrived promptly after their conversation with Pinoe and had done little in the way of surveillance. They had mostly teased each other during practice and taken bets on who could get away with pantsing Carli by the end of camp. Alyssa had been absent from their shenanigans, but had texted Meghan that she had nothing to report. Meghan was sure that the keeper just didn’t want to deal with the antics of the younger players.

            When Meghan returned to her chosen seat away from the madness, she was surprised to find Kelley sitting across from her, stealing a strawberry off her plate.

            “Hey get your own O’Hara,” the defender grumbled as she took her seat. Kelley smirked as she sucked loudly on the half eaten strawberry. “Cute.”

            “Aw come on Kling,” Kelley replied when she had finished the strawberry. “You know they taste better off someone else’s plate.”

            “Why do you make everything sound so dirty?” Meghan asked as she shoved a piece of cantaloupe in her mouth.

            “It’s a gift my friend. And a very useful one,” Kelley said with a smile.

            “Mhm,” Meghan mumbled through her mouthful of fruit. “What do you want?”

            “You mean you’re not excited to talk to me? Your backline buddy?” Kelley teased, lunging for another strawberry.

            Meghan swatted her hand away and responded, “Wow, it really is a gift. But seriously, can’t I just eat breakfast in peace for once in my life?”

            “No, not when you’re over here sulking. Why aren’t you over there with your little Gumby buddy?” Kelley asked, glancing over to where Morgan was telling a story, her hands flailing wildly.

            “I just wanted to eat by myself today. Is that such a crime?” Meghan replied quickly, her fork stabbing another piece of fruit with more force than necessary.

            “Ok look dude, I’m just trying to be nice ok? We’ve played together a long time and we both know what it’s like to see teammates come and go. I just know what that feels like ok? So I decided maybe you could use a buddy today,” Kelley shrugged.

            “Well thanks, but I’m fine. Plus, your buddy is like the cornerstone of this team so I’m sure she’ll be around for a while,” Meghan retorted, motioning toward the other table where Hope sat with Carli and Becky.

            “Dude, are you talking about Hope?” Kelley looked at her incredulously. Meghan shrugged noncommittally and Kelley snorted a laugh. “When have you ever seen us hang out? Like ever. Dude I’m talking about Alex and Tobin and Press. Look, all I’m saying is that every time there’s a new camp, there’s a new mix of players and it changes the dynamic. Speaking of Hope, look how much time Carli’s been spending with the youngins. Harli, or whatever they’re called, hasn’t hung out like at all. And look at the New Kids. No one could fathom that they’d ever be apart and just like that, Tobin’s a loner.”

            “Ok fine, yes, I’ve missed Moe ok? But really, it’s not a big deal. We’re not here to make friends, we’re here to get ready for qualifiers,” Meghan pointed out, her eyebrows raised in challenge.

            “Alright, alright, I see your point. We’re also not here to cause a scene right? But you guys managed to do that pretty well on the victory tour,” Kelley replied, her smirk growing as Meghan shook her head.

            “Look dude, I will take full responsibility for that, but it wasn’t my fault it got out of hand. That was all you dude. You and your friend that you don’t ever hang out with that you still totally have a crush on,” Meghan responded calmly.

            Kelley sputtered her orange juice back into her cup. She shot Meghan a warning glare and said, “Not fucking cool Meghan. You know it’s not like that.”

            “Oh it’s not huh? You forget that I was in London with you guys and you’ve been walking around with that same look on your face since the World Cup,” Meghan challenged with a smirk of her own. She knew she was asking for trouble with this line of questioning, but the look on Kelley’s face was worth it.

            “I think you’ve been spending too much time on the internet. Nothing happened in London. Hope was with Jeramy, remember?” Kelley argued, her voice low and eyes darting around to see if anyone else was listening.

            “Ok, sure. If that’s your story, then who am I to disagree?” Meghan replied with another shrug. She took a sip of her coffee and made eye contact with Morgan, who was staring at her warily. She gave Morgan nothing in the way of a hint about the content of their conversation, but turned back to Kelley with upturned eyebrows.

            “I swear to god I’m never listening to Tobin again,” Kelley mumbled before downing the rest of her orange juice.

            “What do you mean you’re not listening to Tobin again?” Meghan asked, her eyebrows knit together in confusion.

            “Tobin said it’s not good for you to be all by yourself because you get all ornery and then you start slide tackling the shit outta people. And honestly, no one needs that. So I volunteered to come hang out with you this morning and this is the thanks I get,” Kelley replied, shaking her head.

            “Well thanks, but I’m fine. If Tobin is so worried, why didn’t she just come over here herself?” Meghan responded, someone snarkily.

            “Cuz she’s trying to mack on Presi,” Kelley said simply.

            Meghan snorted a laugh, “Oh that’s a good one.” Kelley just shrugged and turned to where Tobin and Christen were sitting together in conversation. Meghan followed her gaze and her eyes widened. “Dude, really? Holy shit.”

            “I know right? I can see it. They are cute together,” Kelley replied. She pushed back from the table and stood up, collecting her empty plate and cup. “Just don’t go angrily taking out our teammates ok?”

            “Yeah ok,” Meghan agreed distractedly, still watching Tobin and Christen. She turned back quickly when she realized Kelley was leaving. “Hey O’Hara, sorry for being an asshole. I think I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed. My bad. Thanks for coming over.”

            “No worries dude. See ya later,” Kelley replied cheerily, leaving Meghan to ponder the interaction. She caught Morgan’s eye again and shrugged. Morgan fixed her with a look, but Meghan shook her head slightly, hopefully indicating that they’d discuss it later.

            Meghan sat back in her chair and sipped her coffee, eyeing her teammates over her mug. She watched Kelley walk over to the table with Hope and Carli. She greeted everyone enthusiastically and spoke to Becky briefly. Meghan wondered if they were roommates for camp. She hadn’t figured out exactly who had been paired with who yet, but that information may be important down the line. Kelley patted Becky on the shoulder and glanced up briefly at Hope, who met her eyes, but continued to wear her poker face. Kelley took the keycard from Becky’s outstretched hand and pocketed it before heading for the door. Becky turned to Carli and jumped back into whatever conversation had been interrupted by Kelley. Hope nodded along, but her eyes followed the retreating defender.

            Meghan watched as Hope’s poker face briefly slipped, adoration crossing her features with a quick upturn of her lips and a slight crinkle around her eyes. Meghan blinked as Hope turned to her, her poker face set firmly in place, causing Meghan to wonder if she had just imagined Hope’s ghost of a smile. Meghan blinked first and took a final bite of her toast. She checked her watch, noticing that there was a good amount of time until they were to report to the first team meeting of the day. She looked up to see Hope clearing away the remnants of breakfast in preparation to head back upstairs. She wordlessly gathered her belongings and exited the room, almost refusing to meet Meghan’s very obvious stare. Meghan continued to stare at the door long after Hope had let it close behind her, in an attempt to make sense of what she’d just seen.

            Her thoughts were interrupted as Morgan sat down in the seat Kelley had originally claimed. “Dude, you’ve had an eventful morning,” Morgan pointed out, stealing an abandoned grape from Meghan’s plate.

            “You have no idea,” Meghan mumbled, still chewing over Hope and Kelley’s departure.

            “I know that look. What is it? What did you see? What did Kelley say to you?” Morgan pressed.

            “Well Kelley said that Tobin said that I need friends because you abandoned me and I will go around bulldozing everyone,” Meghan started, but was interrupted by a snorting Morgan, who backtracked quickly with a mumbled apology after Meghan fixed her with a stare. “She said Tobin is macking on Press. And she also denied ever having a thing with Hope. Then she went over and got a room key from Broon, so I think they are rooming together. She headed out and Hope watched her the whole way. A couple minutes later Hope left too.”

            “Holy crap that’s a lot of intel!” Morgan exclaimed excitedly.

            “Sh, keep it down. I’m not sure what it means yet, but the game is afoot my dear Watson,” Meghan replied, her eyes drifting back to the door as the possibilities of where her teammates had gone turned over in her brain.

            “Dude! Why do I have to be Watson? This was my idea!” Morgan complained, her voice taking on its customary whine.

            “Because you brought this on, but this plan was my idea and you are my sidekick, admit it,” Meghan explained calmly.

            “Ugh, but Watson is so dorky. Why can’t I be someone cool?” Morgan whined.

            “Do you really want me to answer that?” Meghan asked, raising her eyebrows.

            “Come on! That British Watson guy is so dorky,” Morgan continued.

            “Oh my god fine, would you rather be Lucy Liu’s Watson?” Meghan gave in, throwing her hands up in frustration.

            “Yes actually, she was a Charlie’s Angel,” Morgan said crossing her arms in triumph.

            “Oh for fucks sake,” Meghan grumbled, gathering up her dishes.

            “And that way you don’t have to be that Cumberbatch guy’s Sherlock. He’s so weird looking,” Morgan pointed out.

            “I’ll have you know that…,” Meghan started, but shook her head and shrugged it off. “It doesn’t matter. Just get your minions to meet us in our room after dinner again. I’m going to give more explicit instructions this time. For now, I’m going to try to find out where the targets went.”

            “Aye, Aye, Captain!” Morgan said with a mock salute and a conspiratorial smile.


	5. The Forest for the Trees

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meghan runs into someone outside of her room, but her doubts grow with a lack of puzzle pieces.

            _Anything yet?_ Morgan text for the fifth time.

            “For fucks sake,” Meghan muttered as she peeked out into the hallway through the crack in the door. None of her teammates had entered or exited any of the rooms on the floor. Luckily Meghan’s room was near the end of the hallway, so she had the perfect vantage point to see the whole floor. _No for the fifth time. I told you I would text you as soon as I saw something,_ she replied quickly to Morgan.

_But this is so boring! Where are they?_ Morgan responded immediately.

            Meghan rolled her eyes at the younger player’s impatience. She cleared her screen and looked at the time on her phone. She needed to be downstairs in about ten minutes. Time was running out. With a sigh she abandoned her post at the door and quickly grabbed her stuff. _No clue. I’m giving up,_ she text to Morgan before heading toward the door.

            She opened the door and walked out into the hall. Her phone buzzed again in her pants pocket and she grumbled a curse as she pulled it out. She had barely read it when the door next to her opened suddenly. “Ahh!” Meghan exclaimed, bumping against the wall, her phone clattering to the carpet as Hope stepped through the threshold and froze.

            “Jesus Kling, you almost gave me a heart attack!” Hope gasped, clearly startled by the appearance of the younger player outside her door.

            Meghan mumbled a quick apology and hastily scooped up her phone and shoved it in her pocket. Hope nodded at her and started down the hall, pulling her own phone out of her pocket and barely looking up as she typed swiftly on the keyboard. Meghan hurried after her as the keeper turned the corner toward the elevators.

            “Hey, sorry about that again. Moe is being all ridiculous this morning and she won’t stop texting me. She even made me come up here and get her new socks so she wouldn’t have to stop talking to her squad,” Meghan lied easily as she stopped next to Hope. Although it wasn’t a complete lie. Morgan had text her to ask her for socks because she’d forgotten an extra pair.

            “You guys are weird,” Hope said rolling her eyes and stepping onto the elevator.              

            “’You guys?’ Don’t lump me in with that kid. She’s just my roommate. Who’s your roommate?” Meghan asked nonchalantly, joining Hope in the elevator.

            She pushed the button for the ground floor before answering simply, “Lyssa.”

            “Uh, really?” Meghan exclaimed before she could stop herself.

            Hope turned to her with a bit of side eye and replied, “Yeah. Why is that weird?”

            “I don’t know. It’s not. But I thought they didn’t usually put keepers together,” Meghan said, hoping that her very valid point covered her completely unnecessary outburst.

            “Uh,” Hope paused, her face scrunching up in concentration. Finally, she shrugged, “Yeah they usually don’t, but it happens every once in a while. There are just more of you than us so I guess it doesn’t happen often. There’s no rule against it. At least not one that I’m aware of.”

            “Huh, interesting. Well you learn something new every day,” Meghan muttered as the elevator doors opened to reveal the lobby. She followed Hope off the elevator as she headed toward the cluster of players waiting near the sliding doors. She saw Morgan and made a beeline for her.

            When she reached the younger player, she pulled Morgan’s socks out of her bag and handed them to the younger player. Morgan gaped at her for a second before raising her eyebrows. “I didn’t see anything. But I did learn that she’s roommates with Alyssa,” Meghan reported quietly.

            “Wait, what?!?” Morgan exclaimed in a whisper. Her eyes darted around, looking for the backup keeper.

            “Mhm, interesting right?” Meghan confirmed, crossing her arms over her chest.

            “Why wouldn’t she tell us?” Morgan asked, scowling in Alyssa’s direction.

            “I’m sure she has her reasons. She always does. I’m going to find out later what they are though,” Meghan replied. “She owes us an explanation.”

***

            “They’re useless, you know that right?” Meghan said with a sigh before squirting water into her mouth. She watched Stephanie chase Emily in and out of their teammates, attempting to squirt water down her training shorts.

            “Yeah,” Morgan replied, her exasperated sigh long and semi-amused. “They were your idea.”

            Meghan scoffed, nearly spitting out her water. “They’re your friends,” she retorted.

            Morgan nodded solemnly, “Don’t remind me.”

            “You know they’re idiots right?” Alyssa said, suddenly standing next to them.

            “Jesus!” Morgan started, nearly jumping out of their skin. “Where did you come from?”

            “We don’t call her the Silent Assassin for nothing dude,” Meghan pointed out. She then turned to Alyssa and fixed her with a stare. “Why didn’t you tell us you are rooming with Hope?”

            “Because it wasn’t important,” Alyssa shrugged.

            “Not important! Not important?!? Have to lost your mind? That the most important piece of information you could have shared! You know when she comes and goes!” Meghan argued, turning to face the keeper.

            “You never asked. I told you I was in. That meant I’d tell you when I actually had something to report,” Alyssa explained calmly.

            “So?” Meghan inquired. Alyssa turned to her with a raised eyebrow. Meghan rolled her eyes and asked, “So do you have anything to report?”

            “Yes,” Alyssa replied, calmly squirting water into her mouth from her water bottle and surveying the team.

            “Well?” Meghan asked impatiently, Morgan smacked her on arm, her eyes wide with warning.

            “Hope texts a lot,” Alyssa said quietly.

            “And?” Meghan prompted, clearly annoyed.

            “And it’s more than the average person texts,” Alyssa explained.

            “Why the fuck is that important?” Meghan asked, throwing her hands in the air in exasperation.

            “Language,” Alyssa chided. “It matters because she’s obviously hiding something. Supposedly she never talks to anyone other than her husband on the phone. He can’t be the only one she’s texting if she’s constantly on her phone. I’ll let you know if I learn anything else.” Alyssa nodded to the both of them and then walked away.

            “Thanks dude,” Morgan called out after her.

***

            Meghan sighed as she plopped herself on her bed later that night. Morgan laid face first on her own and groaned into the mattress. “Ugh that was grueling,” she complained. “I think Dawn is trying to kill us.”

            “Or make us better,” Meghan muttered sarcastically.

            “Doubtful. I think she was one of those nuns that whacked people with rulers in another life,” Morgan replied, turning her face toward the defender.

            Meghan snorted a laugh, “Or one of those medieval torturers that like pulled people’s limbs apart or put people in the stocks and threw lettuce at them.”

            “Dude what is wrong with you?” Morgan responded, sending Meghan some serious side eye.

            “So many things, but that’s not important. So what did we learn today? Nothing. What have we learned so far? Nothing. I think this is a lost cause,” Meghan redirected with a sigh.

            “What? Are you suggesting we give up? After all we know now? What the hell Kling?” Morgan asked, pushing herself up onto her forearms.

            “Yes, I am suggesting we give up. This is kind of ridiculous Morgan, admit it. We are spying on our teammates to see if they are having some kind of salacious affair,” Meghan pointed out.

            “Well maybe it’s not salacious ok? Maybe it’s sweet and they are just exploring their feelings for each other. What if it’s just that huh?” Morgan replied calmly, wagging her head at Meghan.

            “No matter what it is, it’s not actually our business. And you really shouldn’t be shipping them. They are our teammates,” Meghan shot back, sitting up and scooting against the headboard.

            “Everybody ships Ash and Kriegs!” Morgan countered, unable to keep the squeal out of her voice.

            “Because they are actually together!” Meghan argued, throwing her hands into the air in annoyance.

            “So if Hope and Kelley are actually together then my shipping is acceptable?” Morgan replied, raising her eyebrows. A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

            Meghan sighed and muttered to herself. She shook her head and closed her eyes, willing herself not to just across the room and throttle the younger player. “I hate you,” she finally told Morgan.

            Morgan smiled in triumph. “I knew you’d see it my way,” she said smugly.

            “Lord help us all,” Meghan muttered. “Look dude, something better happen real quick on this O’Solo front or I’m walking away.”

            “I know what I saw dude. O’Solo is real. I will prove it to you. Mark my words,” Morgan said emphatically.

            Meghan shook her head in response. “We’re gonna regret this.”


	6. Basketful of Bad Ideas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morgan wants to ask Becky about being Kelley's roommate, but Meghan thinks it is a bad idea.

            “I’m just going to text her,” Morgan argued as she carefully packed her plastic grocery bag with her cleats and an extra pair of socks.

            “No! Don’t get her involved in this! It was bad enough the last time. We don’t need her,” Meghan countered emphatically.

            “Yes we do! You are pretty sure she’s Kelley’s roommate, so we absolutely need her,” Morgan replied, picking up her phone and hunting for Becky’s number. “And this is my operation. I’m bringing her in.”

            “Jesus help us, Watson has gone rogue,” Meghan muttered, rolling her eyes and shrugging into her warm-up jacket. Morgan chuckled as she hit send. “What did you write?” Meghan asked, clearly suspicious.

            Morgan cleared her throat before reading the text aloud, “My dearest Rebecca, I humbly request the pleasure of company at breakfast this morning. Sincerely, your little Moe.”

            Meghan shook her head and grabbed her bag. “Fine, but you’re doing all of the talking.”

            “Fine. Becky likes me better anyway,” Morgan replied. The comment earned her some serious side eye and a not very subtle threat of violence.

            The pair continued to bicker about various aspects of the mission, albeit subtly, for the entirety of the journey to the breakfast room. Meghan cautioned the younger player with a look as they pulled open the door and was rewarded with a series of uncomplimentary mutters.

            The room was filling up. The majority of their teammates were already seated or were in line for breakfast items. Morgan made eye contact with Becky, who was sitting next to Heather on the far side of the room. Becky nodded to her subtly and went back to her conversation. Morgan nodded to Meghan in triumph, who rolled her eyes in lieu of a response.

            Once they were seated away from prying ears, Becky calmly made her way over to the duo, coffee cup in hand. She set it down on the table gently and then silently took a seat across from Morgan. “Good morning Becky,” Morgan greeted. “Thank you for coming.”

            “What have you done?” Becky asked with a sigh.

            Meghan snorted as she sipped from her own mug. “Really? That’s what you think of us?” Morgan replied, her tone laced with insincere hurt.

            “Morgan, you’re cute, but I know when you’re up to no good,” Becky told her. Morgan turned and narrowed her eyes at Meghan, who shook her head and leaned back in her chair. She gestured for Morgan to spill the story with a smirk.

            “Oh my god fine. Look, it’s really simple. I just wanted to ask you a question. With the possibility of follow up questions. Maybe. Possibly. We’ll see,” Morgan said cagily.

            Becky raised an eyebrow and replied, “Ok, try me.”

            “Ok, so are you Kelley’s roommate?” Morgan asked calmly.

            “Yes,” Becky responded slowly, drawing out her answer in confusion. “Why?”

            “Um. Well, have you noticed if she’s been gone from your room a lot lately?” Morgan pressed.

            “Have either of you been roommates with Kelley? Because she’d literally never there. Every time I’ve roomed with her she’s disappeared. She’s like the Houdini of roommates,” Becky supplied.

            “Hm, you know what? That’s totally true,” Meghan said. Morgan nodded her agreement.

            “Where do you think she goes?” Morgan inquired, her head tilted in thought.

            “Not sure,” Becky shrugged. “I’ve seen her with Alex and Tobin. I’ve also seen her hanging out with Press and Heather. Sometimes she’s bothering Ash and Ali. Once I heard she was harassing Hope and making her watch Real Housewives.”

            Morgan and Meghan shared a conspiratorial look. Becky’s response was cut off when Heather sat down next to her. “What’s up Klingenmoe? Read any smut lately?”

            “No!” Morgan exclaimed, her cheeks pinkening.

            “She’s totally lying,” Meghan said with a smirk.

            “Right? You can tell by the way she gets all bashful and her cheeks turn red,” Heather laughed.

            “They were asking about Kelley’s roommate habits,” Becky told the midfielder.

            “That’s random. She’s a great roommate though, when she’s there that is,” Heather supplied thoughtfully.

            “Hm, she does that to you too huh?” Meghan asked, clearly interested.

            “Yeah she does that to everybody. She sort of makes the rounds it seems. It’s almost like she’s everyone’s roommate,” Heather replied with a shrug.

            “She doesn’t hang out with us,” Morgan stated, her nose scrunching up in mock offense.

            “Yeah because you two troublemakers are always together. And now you’ve added your little squad of admirers to the mix. Some people can only take so much,” Becky told her. Morgan scoffed in real offense this time and Meghan laughed. Becky’s shrug was accompanied by a smirk.

            “That’s rude. And categorically untrue,” Morgan argued in her defense.

            “So what’s this about?” Becky asked, ignoring Morgan’s response.

            “Um,” Morgan started, but trailed off as she noticed Kelley and Hope walking out of the breakfast room together. As her eyes followed them, Meghan, Becky, and Heather followed her stare.

            “Morgan,” Becky drew out the younger player’s name. “Tell me that they aren’t what this is about.”

            “Well…” Meghan trailed off, turning to Morgan expectantly.

            Morgan colored again and swallowed hard. “Well, I sort of maybe saw something that made me wonder something and now we may be investigating something,” she admitted quickly.

            “Morgan Brian!” Becky hissed through her teeth.

            Heather shook her head and leaned forward, “Look you guys, this is not a good idea.”

            “You’re right, it’s a terrible idea,” Becky agreed. “I don’t care what you saw or think you saw. Poking around those two is more trouble that you are prepared for. Don’t do it. Walk away.”

            “Mhm,” Meghan muttered, raising her eyebrows at Morgan.

            Morgan ignored her and addressed Becky and Heather. “Look, something is going on with them. It could cause repercussions if it’s true. Don’t you want to know?” she asked.

            “No,” Becky responded quickly. Heather pursed her lips and shook her head.

            “But-,” Morgan started but was quickly cut off.

            “No Morgan and I will tell you why. Hope is fiercely private and if there is something going on between them, it’s clear that she doesn’t want anyone to know. And she’s married and Kelley’s with someone else. This will cause more harm than satisfying your curiosity is worth. Shut this down,” Becky advised.

            “She’s right ladies. Don’t fuck with Hope. Just don’t. I think you’ve let the internet get the best of you. Playing on Tumblr and writing fanfic is one thing,” Heather said, with a pointed look at Becky. “But stalking two of our teammates is a completely different thing. They both as individuals deserve for us to respect them and their privacy. I highly recommend you let this go.”

            Morgan sighed her acquiescence and Meghan nodded thoughtfully. “Sorry you guys. You’re right,” Morgan admitted.

            Heather nodded and stood up. “I gotta go, but heed my advice ladies,” she said looking them both in the eye in turn.

            “Ok HAO,” Meghan nodded.

            Becky pushed back from the table and swiftly stood up. “We’re serious,” she warned. “We’ll be watching.”

            Morgan nodded solemnly and Becky turned to follow Heather, who was already headed for the door. They watched their teammates file out of the door in small groups. Finally, with only a few minutes left before they needed to head out, Meghan cleared her throat, “So that didn’t mean shit right?”

            “Right,” Morgan replied, a mischievous smile pulling slowly at the corner of her mouth.

            “It seems like they know more than we do,” Meghan stated thoughtfully.

            “Doesn’t it? They were quick to warn us off this track. I’m pretty sure they know more than they are telling. We just have to figure out what it is,” Morgan replied.

            “Game on,” Meghan said with a smile.


	7. Making a List, Checking it Twice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meghan and Morgan invite the Bean Squad over to write down everything they've seen so far and figure out the next steps in Operation Sea Jay."

            “Do I even want to know where you guys stole a whiteboard from?” Meghan asked as she uncapped the white board marker and wrote “Operation Sea Jay” on the top.

            The Bean Squad looked around at each other before shaking their heads. “You said you needed one and we delivered,” Emily pointed out.

            “I said it would be nice to have one,” Meghan corrected. “Not that I needed one. Just make sure you put it back ok? I don’t need to catch shit for this.”

            “Sure thing boss,” Stephanie replied with a smirk and a mocking salute.

            Meghan rolled her eyes and straightened up. She looked to Morgan and said, “Ok, let’s see what we’ve got so far. Moe, your initial observation is the most important. You saw them walking into the hotel together suspiciously.” Morgan nodded as Meghan recorded that on the board.

            “Then you saw them leaving breakfast together,” Sam reminded her.

            “Right,” she said, writing that down. “What else do we know?”

            “They eat most of their meals at the same table,” Emily shrugged.

            “Good point,” Meghan said, continuing to scribble on the whiteboard.

            “Becky confirmed Kelley is gone from their room a lot,” Morgan reminded her.

            “Yep, she did. Keep them coming. What else have we seen?” Meghan asked.

            “Um…” Morgan muttered and looked around at the Bean Squad. They all were looking at each other and shrugging.

            “Come on you guys! It’s been a whole week. We’ve had to have seen more than this!” Meghan admonished. “Fine, I’ll start. I saw them sharing a water bottle during the afternoon session the other day.”

            “Um, they were talking to each other after weight training yesterday,” Sam offered.

            “Ok, good. What else?” Meghan pressed, looking up.

            “Becky and HAO said to leave this alone,” Morgan pointed out.

            “They did?” Steph asked, turning to face Morgan.

            “Yeah, they were super pushy about it. It was kind of weird actually,” Morgan said, looking to Meghan for confirmation.

            “Yeah, it wasn’t what I was expecting. We should keep that in mind,” Meghan agreed. “Hey I thought you guys said Alyssa was coming.”

            “She’s gonna stop by on her way out,” Steph said looking at her phone. “She just texted me and said she will be here in five minutes.”

            “Dude what’s taking her so long? Isn’t her room like two doors down?” Meghan asked, annoyed with the keeper.

            “Is it?” Emily asked, confusion clearly on her face. “I thought she was down at the other end by us.”

            “Is she?” Morgan asked, clearly intrigued.

            “I don’t know. I thought so. Maybe I’m wrong. Who knows? It’s hard to keep track” Emily replied shrugging.

            “Dude, we got a real genius here,” Steph teased Emily with a wide smile.

            “Shut up asshole,” Emily swatted at Steph, who nearly fell off the bed trying to scramble out of the way.

            “Ok, ok. Get it together,” Meghan yelled, clapping her hands to get her attention.

            “Sorry Klingen-mom,” Steph muttered, a smirk pulling at her lips.

            “Say that again and I’ll give you something to be sorry about,” Meghan retorted, pointing her finger in Stephanie’s direction.

            “More like Klingen-dad,” Sam laughed.

            “Anyway!” Meghan bellowed, trying to get them back on track. “You guys were supposed to be on recon all week. This is all you have to show for it?”

            All four younger players looked at each other and shrugged again. Morgan scratched her head and looked out the window, deep in thought. Finally, she exclaimed, “Hey wait! Where were they at movie night?”

            The others looked at each other and then back at Morgan. “Now that you mention it, I don’t remember seeing them,” Emily agreed.

            “Wasn’t everyone supposed to be there?” Sam asked, her face still scrunched up in concentration.

            “Yeah, but Hope traditionally never goes. Kelley loves them though so that’s surprising. She’s always quoting the movies all obnoxiously. But you’re right, she wasn’t there,” Meghan pointed out.

            “Hm, suspicious,” Morgan replied, wagging a finger at the board. Morgan turned at wrote it on the board.

            “Um, I think I saw Kelley heading for the stairs the other day,” Sam said hesitantly.

            “Where?” Morgan asked, intrigued.

            “On this floor. I was walking out of my room and looked up and she was going through the door that leads to the stairs,” Sam told them.

            “Does she usually take the stairs?” Emily asked, looking between Meghan and Morgan.

            “Not that I know of,” Meghan said, her eyebrows knitted in concentration. “Krieger does sometimes when she doesn’t trust the elevators, but Kelley doesn’t seem to have a problem with them. I’ve ridden with her plenty of times.”

            “Could you tell if she was going down or up?” Morgan asked, turning back to Sam.

            “No,” Sam replied. “The door doesn’t have a window. I didn’t think anything of it at the time.”

            “Where was she coming from?” Steph asked.

            “Not sure. This end of the hall maybe. I don’t know,” Sam shrugged. Steph shot her an exasperated look, which was met with a punch on the arm.

            Meghan rolled her eyes again as Steph exclaimed loudly and grabbed her arm in pain. “Can you guys not-,” Meghan started but was interrupted by Alyssa walking through the door. She crossed the room and plopped down in one of the chairs by the window. She studied the board while everyone stared at her. Finally, she looked up and nodded at Meghan.

            “How did you get a key to our room?” Morgan inquired, tilting her head at the keeper.

            “I don’t have a key to your room,” Alyssa said matter-of-factly.

            Morgan started to respond, but Meghan cut her off. “Do you have anything else for us?” she asked Alyssa.

            “Hope and Kelley went to coffee twice last week. They were sitting at the pool together the other night, after curfew might I add. They were not at movie night, you’re right. And they also came late to team dinner on Tuesday. Oh and Hope likes to hang out on the roof,” Alyssa said. Everyone stared at her as Meghan wrote furiously on the whiteboard.

            “Uh, what do you mean she likes to hang out on the roof?” Emily asked innocently. Morgan and Meghan shared a smirk. Alyssa shook her head at the younger player.

            “Take pity on the innocent you guys. Lyss is implying that O’Solo is using the roof as a private getaway,” Stephanie pointed out. Emily had the good sense to look scandalized while everyone else considered it.

            “It’s totally possible. Hope has been known to stargaze after games. She once told me it’s where she goes to get some, and I quote, ‘Some goddamn peace and quiet,’” Meghan told them.

            “Yep,” Alyssa replied. “It would make the most sense that they are up there together where nobody is looking for them and they can tell if someone is coming.”

            “God that’s smart,” muttered Sam, shaking her head.

            “Yeah it is,” agreed Morgan. “That’s why this is so hard. They are sneaky.”

            “Yeah well, happy hunting. Let me know if you need anything else,” Alyssa said, rising from her chair and moving toward the door.

            Meghan waved her off, her face still crinkled in concentration. “Thanks for your help,” she said distractedly.

            “Yep, night ladies,” Alyssa said on her way out of the door. The Bean Squad said their goodbyes as the door closed behind the keeper.

            “Your face is gonna stay that way if you keep that up,” Step pointed out.

            “Uh, what?” Meghan said stupidly, shaking herself out of her reverie.

            “Yeah, that didn’t help. Your face still looks like that,” Steph laughed. There was a chorus of snorts from the Bean Squad.

            “Shut up Steph,” Meghan muttered. “Shit! I was going to ask Alyssa what room she is in!”

            Morgan leapt off the bed and ran out the door. A second later she returned, shaking her head. “She was already gone,” she reported.

            “Damn it. Remind me to ask her tomorrow,” Meghan said, turning back to the board.

            “Aye aye captain!” Morgan replied with a thumbs up.

            “It this enough to go on?” Sam asked, looking up to Meghan.

            Meghan allowed her eyes to take in the list one more time. “Yes, I believe it is,” she told them. “But what we really need is to catch them in the act. We need a trap.”

            “We do?” Morgan asked, her eyes lighting up.

            “We do,” Meghan nodded. “And it’s going to involve the roof, you guys, and some buckets of water.”


	8. What Goes Around

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morgan and Meghan attempt to catch O'Solo on the roof.

            “We are go for launch!” Morgan exclaimed as she looked at her phone. It had just vibrated with a text message from Emily saying Kelley was headed up to the roof. The roof, where Sam and Steph were waiting to ambush them.

            “Alright. Let’s do this!” Meghan nodded with a wide smile as she grabbed her phone and headed for the door. Morgan clapped her hands in delight and jumped up. Five minutes before, they had gotten a text from Alyssa saying Hope had left their room and had entered the door to the stairs.

            “Dude I can’t wait. This is going to be awesome!” Morgan said as they headed for the stairwell.

            “Just make sure you get the picture. I will try to catch as much as I can on video. Hopefully those two idiots waited for us,” Meghan replied as she pushed the door to the stairs open. She listened intently for a moment and then nodded to Morgan. “The coast is clear. Let’s go.”

            As they ascended the stairway, Meghan prayed that this was going to work. They’d gone over the plan five times in their room this afternoon, but she didn’t trust Steph and Sam. She knew they only had one shot at this and they needed to make it count.

            She slowed her approach, quieting her footsteps on the concrete steps as she neared the door to the roof. Morgan came up behind her and pulled out her phone. She nodded to Meghan and grinned. Meghan pulled out her own phone and started recording. “On three,” she whispered. “One, two, three!”

            Meghan flung open the door and was immediately met by a face full of water, followed by a cloud of white powder. She covered her face with her arm as she sputtered, taking in Morgan’s cry of surprise next to her. As she fought a fog of confusion, she heard a distinct and surprisingly jovial set of laughter. It dawned on her that they’d been set up.

            “Welcome to the roof ladies,” Hope exclaimed happily with a laugh.

            “Goddamn it!” Meghan exclaimed, shoving her flour covered phone in her pocket and wiping her face on the inside of her shirt.

            “You didn’t think this would actually work, did you?” Kelley asked with a snort.

            “What the fuck?” Meghan answered her, spitting the water flour mixture onto the ground of the roof.

            “You dumbshits. What were you trying to do?” Hope taunted. “Why do you even try anymore? You can’t prank me. You’ve never been able to prank me. Why suddenly would it work? Give it up Kling. You’ll never win.”

            “That’s not-” Morgan started, but was quickly cut off.

            “No, it’s ok, Moe. I’m a big girl. I can take it. Don’t give Solo the satisfaction,” Meghan said calmly. She crossed her arms. “So who ratted us out?”

            “We’ll never reveal our sources!” Kelley exclaimed.

            “Kell, really?” Hope replied, rolling her eyes. She turned back to Meghan. “You know it was Pinoe. And Alyssa was really easy to persuade.”

            “Naeher’s still pissed at you, ya know?” Kelley stated, snorting a laugh again.

            “Fucking Pinoe,” Meghan muttered. “I fucking know better.”

            “What did you do to Alyssa?” Morgan asked, turning to Meghan.

            “I’ll tell you later,” she muttered. Meghan turned back to the duo and asked, “Fine, you win. I give up Hope. This is my official surrender. I recognize that I will never get you back. Can we be done with this now?”

            Hope shrugged, “I’m not sure I believe you. We’ve been down this road. And this time you dragged all kinds of people into it. I know I can’t trust you.”

            “Dude, what have you done?” Morgan asked.

            “It’s not what she’s done, but what she’s attempted to do,” Kelley replied, flinging the flour bag at Morgan’s feet.

            “Meghan! Seriously! What do I not know?” Morgan pushed, whacking the shorter player on the arm.

            “A lot apparently,” Hope shrugged. “Have fun drying off ladies!” She dropped the ice bucket at Meghan’s feet as she passed. Kelley hurried after her, laughing as she passed the doughy pair.

            Meghan seethed as she watched them go. Morgan attempted to remove the flour from her face, but was only making it worse. Finally, she gave up and turned to Meghan, “What are they talking about?”

            “I used to prank everyone,” Meghan said, through clenched teeth. “It was a long time ago.”

            “Of course you did,” Morgan responded, shaking her head. She threw her hands into the air. “When were you going to tell me that you have a beef with Hope. And Alyssa for that matter?”

            “I don’t have a beef with anyone! Well, not anymore. I thought that was long over!” Meghan argued.

            “Well obviously not!” Morgan shot back, bending down to swipe at the flour bag on the ground in front of her.

            “Look, I may have put bleach in Alyssa’s shampoo when we played on the U-20 team. She didn’t appreciate it at the time, but I thought platinum blonde was a good look on her,” Meghan shrugged.

            “I swear to god Kling! And Hope? What did you do to her?” Morgan asked, putting her hands on her hips.

            “Nothing successfully,” Meghan muttered, turning and heading for the door.

            “You’re not going to tell me?” Morgan exclaimed, following her toward the stairwell.

            “Why? They all failed,” Meghan replied, defeated.

            “So give me the quick and dirty version,” Morgan prompted.

            “Fine. A few years ago, I made it my mission to prank Hope. Nothing worked. And believe me, I tried like everything. She’s right, I’m never going to win,” Meghan said, opening the door and slowly heading down the stairs.

            “You dragged me into this knowing Hope would never let you catch her?” Morgan responded, clearly annoyed.

            “No!” Meghan shot back. “You got me into this!”

            “I did not!” Morgan retorted. Meghan stopped on the stairwell in front of her and shot her a look. “Ok, fine, maybe I did, but still! You could have warned me!”

            “I didn’t think it would go like this! Where the hell are Steph and Sam?” Meghan argued, turning back and heading down the stairs. Just as they reached the landing to their floor, the door to the stairs opened. Steph and Sam started and then stared at the pair, covered with water and flour.

            “Oh shit,” Sam muttered. Steph was too busy laughing to say anything.

            “Yeah laugh it up asshole. Where the fuck were you guys?” Meghan asked, crossing her arms.

            “Uh, Steph had to pee. We were only gone a few minutes! Alyssa said we still had time!” Sam said, defending herself and her Bean Squad buddy.

            “Yeah well, Alyssa sold us out. She set the whole thing in motion. So thanks a freaking lot ladies,” Meghan shot back.

            “Oh my god, you guys look ridiculous,” Steph sputtered, still trying to contain her laughter.

            “Yeah well laugh it up. Your time will come,” Meghan promised, shoving past a doubled over Steph.

            “Come on Kling, don’t be like that. It’s not their fault!” Morgan argued, shrugging at Sam before following Meghan into the hall.

            “I don’t care. I’m not worried about them. They’ll get what’s coming to them at some point,” Meghan told her.

            “Meghan, come on!” Morgan called after her. “Where are you going?”

            “To have a word with Alyssa,” Meghan told her as she headed down the hall. “This isn’t over.”


	9. All That Glitters is Gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meghan and Morgan head off to find Alyssa. They find a surprising revelation instead.

            Meghan stomped toward Alyssa’s room, anger rolling off her in waves, as Morgan trailed behind her nervously. Morgan desperately tried to wipe her face off with her sleeve as she walked, but she only succeeded in smearing the mess around more. “Wait!” she called out to Meghan as the shorter player stopped in front of a door, poised to bang on it.

            “What!” Meghan replied testily.

            “Are you sure that’s her room?” Morgan asked as she caught up and stood in between Meghan and the door.

            “Damn near sure. This is the room I saw Hope coming out of and Alyssa and Hope are roommates. Ergo, this is Alyssa’s room,” Meghan said, hands on her hips, ready for a fight.

            “Ok, what if Hope is in there? You really want to go through that again?” Morgan responded nervously, eyes shifting to the door and then back to Meghan.

            “I guarantee you she won’t be. She’s off somewhere gloating to Pinoe about what they did,” Meghan snorted angrily. “Fucking Pinoe. When I see that gimp again, I’m going to beat her ass.”

            “Uh, I don’t think Jill would be too happy with you,” Morgan pointed out.

            “Dude, shut up and get out of the way,” Meghan said before shoving Morgan to the side. She raised her fist and banged on the door. “Open the goddamn door! I know you are in there! I know you sold us out Naeher!”

            “Meghan!” Morgan hissed, looking wildly up and down the hall. “Keep it down! Everyone will hear you!”

            “I don’t give a shit,” Meghan told her. “They will find out anyway.” She turned back to the door and banged again. “Open the fucking door!”

            Morgan shook her head and then jumped back as the door suddenly swung open. “What the hell is wrong with-” Becky started, but stopped suddenly as she took in the sight of them, mouth slightly ajar. “What did you do Meghan?”

            “I didn’t do anything! Why the hell are you in Alyssa’s room?” Meghan shouted defensively. Morgan cocked her head to the side in confusion, peering past Becky into the room.

            “I’m not in Alyssa’s room, this is my room. Alyssa is on the other end of the hall. Seriously what did you do?” Becky asked again, hands now firmly on her hips.

            “But I thought you are rooming with Kelley…” Morgan trailed off, still confused. Meghan’s eyes widened and a devious smile crossed her face.

            Becky’s eyes narrowed as she quickly assessed the situation. “Get in here,” she hissed as she grabbed a handful of their shirts and hauled them inside. She slammed the door behind them and muttered, “Why do I always end up in this mess?”

            “Becky Sauerbrunn, you better tell us what you know right now!” Meghan demanded. Becky shook her head as she pushed past them into the bathroom. She emerged with two towels and threw them at the pair.

            “Kling does this mean what I think it means?” Morgan asked, a smile blooming on her face.

            “Yes, Watson, I do believe it does. O’Solo confirmed,” Meghan replied victoriously.

            “For fucks sake ladies,” Becky sighed, looking pained. “Why couldn’t you just leave this alone?”

            “Because that’s not who we are,” Meghan pointed out as she wiped her face off with the towel, her devious grin growing triumphant. “So let me make sure I’m clear. This is your room. This is Kelley’s room. This is not Alyssa’s room. This is not Hope’s room.”

            “Those are all true statements,” Becky replied warily, standing before them with her arms crossed over her chest.

            “So when I literally bumped into Hope walking out of this room last week, she was walking out of your and Kelley’s room,” Meghan continued as Morgan nodded along gleefully.

            “Yes,” Becky sighed and leaned against the dresser in defeat.

            “And on that morning, you had given Kelley your key to this room. So, the only person who could have gotten into this room before we left for practice was Kelley. And when I left the breakfast room, both Hope and Kelley had left, but you had not. Is that correct?” Meghan pressed, raising her eyebrow at Becky while Morgan clapped gleefully.

            “That is correct,” Becky admitted. “But you still don’t have proof. It’s all circumstantial.”

            “My ass Broon,” Meghan retorted. “I know you know that they are together and you are covering for them. That’s why you told me to leave this alone. Pinoe and Alyssa may have screwed us over, but now we have confirmation that they’ve been sneaking off together and I’m pretty sure it’s not to do arts and crafts. They can’t keep this up forever.”

            “Yeah, it’s not arts and crafts!” Morgan added, nodding emphatically. Meghan rolled her eyes at the younger player, but quickly fixed them back on the co-captain.

            “If I tell you what I know, will you call this ridiculous thing off?” Becky asked calmly.

            Morgan and Meghan shared a look and then nodded. “We will call this ridiculous thing off. No more stalking O’solo,” Meghan said.

            “Promise,” Becky replied, eyebrows raised.

            “Girl scout’s honor,” Morgan responded quickly, holding three fingers up.

            “I swear on my Terrible Towel and my collection of hair products,” Meghan added calmly, holding her hands up into the hair.

            “Fine,” Becky sighed again. “I caught them. In Hawaii.”

            “No way!” Morgan breathed.

            Meghan narrowed her eyes at her fellow defender as she said, “No you did not.”

            “Ok, I didn’t really catch them. I saw something very suspicious and have been trying to gain intel ever since and you two idiots are fucking it up!” Becky replied loudly, throwing her hands into the air.

            “That’s more like it,” Meghan said. “What did you see?”

            “I saw them coming out of the stairwell together in our hotel holding hands. They let go as soon as they both got through the door, but I had just come around the corner and they didn’t notice me. In New Orleans, I also swear I saw Kelley kiss Hope’s cheek, but we were all pretty drunk so maybe it was nothing,” Becky explained, shrugging at the end.

            “Son of a bitch those two are sneaky,” Meghan grumbled, shaking her head and placing her hand over her mouth.

            “Yes they are. And honestly, it’s most likely been happening for a while. Right under our noses,” Becky pointed out.

            “I bet you’re right,” Morgan agreed.

            “Does anyone else know anything?” Meghan asked. “What about HAO?”

            “Well, that’s the thing. HAO absolutely knows something, but she won’t say what. She told me she can confirm my suspicions, but won’t give me the details. Believe me, I’ve hounded her, but she’s not giving it up. This may be a mystery that we will never solve,” Becky told them.

            “Oh we’ll solve it. I don’t care if it’s the last thing I do. We will solve it,” Meghan said calmly, a hint of wicked delight in her voice.

            “You promised you’d call this off Kling!” Becky replied, exasperation lining her words as she pushed herself off of the dresser.

            “Oh I’m calling off the morons. That whole thing is over. But I’ve owed Hope for a long time and she’s going to get what’s coming to her,” Meghan promised, tossing the towel at Becky.

            Morgan smiled and raised her eyebrows. “Klingenmoe is on the case!” she laughed.

            “Great,” Becky sighed, taking the other towel from Morgan. “Just leave me the hell out of this.”

            “No probs captain, my captain. You won’t even notice,” Meghan replied.

            “Sure, sure. Just make sure my name stays out of it. I don’t want to have to hear it from Hope. Or Carli. Keep this away from her,” Becky warned, wagging a finger in their direction.

            “You have my word,” Meghan said with a wink. She turned for the door and Morgan followed behind her.

            “That’s not all that reassuring,” Becky groaned.

***

            “I can’t believe that worked!” Kelley laughed, tossing her phone onto the bed of the room she secretly shared with Hope. They had just relayed the evening’s events to Pinoe, who had reveled in the pair of defenders getting what they deserved.

            “Of course it worked. Although we owe Alyssa big time,” Hope pointed out, plopping down on the opposite bed. She scooted to the far side and patted the open space. Kelley smiled and kicked her shoes off. She crawled up next to Hope and leaned into the keeper for a soft kiss.

            “So,” she said when she pulled back, “do you think they are going to lay off?”

            “Yes and no,” Hope replied with a sigh. “Kling is going to pour her energy into trying to get back at me, but the heat will be off us. Chances are quite good that they will let it go altogether, if Pinoe is to be believed.”

            “But you disagree?” Kelley asked quietly, nervous about the idea of her teammates continuing to pry into her love life.

            “Mm, I’m not convinced they will give up that easily. Something we did set this in motion. Pinoe said it was that we looked suspicious. I’m not so sure. We need to be very careful,” Hope mused.

            “Yeah,” Kelley nodded. “This room was great idea. How have we never thought of booking a room in the team hotel before?”

            “I don’t know. It was never a need before. It sure is nice to have somewhere to meet you that isn’t the roof in the middle of winter though,” Hope smiled. She leaned over and kissed Kelley on the forehead. “Let’s just hope it keeps them off our trail.”

            “I think we sold it,” Kelley replied with a matching smile.

            “I think we did too. Just be on the lookout for something juvenile from Kling and then this whole thing will be behind us,” Hope told her.

            “Thank god,” Kelley muttered as she burrowed into Hope. “First those idiots find our fanfiction, then they try to find out if we are really seeing each other. I can only imagine what’s next.”

            “Don’t worry,” Hope replied softly as she pulled Kelley closer. “Whatever it is, we will take it on together.”

***

            “What about Alyssa?” Morgan asked as Meghan led them a few doors down to their own room.

            “What about her?” Meghan replied testily, sticking her card key into the door slot with more force than necessary. She pulled it out just as fiercely and threw open the door.

            “Uh, I thought we were going after her. Is that not a thing anymore?” Morgan responded in confusion. She followed Meghan into the room, unzipping her sodden jacket as she walked.

            Meghan turned around after flinging her own jacket onto the chair. She didn’t speak until the door had closed firmly behind them. “Oh Naeher will get what’s coming to her. And so will Kelley and Hope. But this is bigger than us Moe. This is game Hope started that I intend to finish. For too long has that egotistical smartass had my number. Well no longer. It ends here!” she said emphatically, arms flailing wildly as her voice grew louder.

            “Dude. Are you sure? I mean if you’ve never gotten one over on Hope before, then I’m not convinced you ever will. Things could go very, very badly very, very quickly,” Morgan pointed out nervously.

            “Are you saying you’re out?” Meghan asked pointedly.

            “No, not necessarily. You know I have your back and I want to get back at them too, but I’m not sure taking on Hope is the best idea you’ve ever had,” Morgan replied as she rummaged through her bag for clean clothes.

            “Well either you’re in or you’re out Moe. I get it if you want to cut and run. As far as I’m concerned, we answered your question. Becky all but confirmed that they are together, there is just a lack of hard evidence. No matter how sneaky we are, they are one step ahead, so they will never let us catch them. I don’t care about catching them anymore. All I care about is taking Hope Solo down a peg or two,” Meghan told her as she slipped on a clean sweatshirt.

            “But she’s Hope! If we get caught, she will humiliate us!” Morgan argued, sitting on the corner of the bed.

            “True. So this time, we don’t get caught,” Meghan said as she took her phone out of her pants pocket and attempted to wipe it down.

            “But-” Morgan started, but was quickly cut off.

            “But nothing! It’s Hope. It’s always been Hope. She’s been the one fucking with us for too long. And yes, I owe her a few times over for foiling my previous plans, but this is bigger than that. Who knows how long Hope has been pulling the… strings…” Meghan trailed off, her eyes wandering to the ceiling in thought. “Oh… my god.”

            “What!” Morgan practically shouted. “Oh your god what?”

            “Morgan. That’s it. Pinoe was right. She was right. Hope was behind all of this. She was right. That sneaky asshole. It makes so much sense!” Meghan said leaping off the bed.

            “What? What? What makes so much sense?” Morgan asked, still quite confused.

            “Hope planned the whole thing,” Meghan muttered to herself and she paced the small space between the beds. “She set the whole thing in motion.”

            “What whole thing?” Morgan begged. She grabbed Meghan’s sweatshirt as she passed her and shook it, halting the defender’s progress. “What are you talking about?”

            “Morgan. She used us! She used us that week when we were caught up in the fanfiction. Hope somehow used us as a distraction to keep the heat off her and Kelley. And they were roommates! And Ash and Ali and Tobin and Alex were roommates. She did that. The whole uproar was a slight of hand. A distraction to keep us off their scent!” Meghan practically shouted.

            “But how did she know we knew? How did she know to spread it around?” Morgan asked, still confused.

            “That’s the beauty of it. She didn’t. We told her first. Accidentally. Then she probably saw her opportunity and sent this whole thing in motion. If she hadn’t told anyone, no one would have known. The whole thing was deviously brilliant. It’s got her signature all over it,” Meghan explained.

            Morgan knitted her eyebrows in confusion. “So let me make sure I get this straight,” she said slowly. “We idiotically told Hope and then she saw an opportunity to distract everyone so that she and Kelley could be roommates and have some quality time. So then she told Kelley and had Kelley spread it around like wildfire. And when you confronted her about Pinoe’s suspicions, she turned it right back around on Pinoe to throw us off her scent.”

            “More or less, yeah,” Meghan shrugged.

            “Wow. That is brilliant,” Morgan replied, awe in her voice. “So what do we do?”

            “I don’t know yet,” Meghan admitted. “This is big. This is really big.”

            “Meghan I don’t know. We can’t do this alone,” Morgan pointed out. She bit her lip nervously and Meghan nodded in agreement.

            “You’re right,” Meghan agreed. “You’re right. We will have only one shot at this. We can’t take this lightly.”

            “So what does that mean?” Morgan asked warily, her eyes following Meghan as she began pacing again.

            “It means we wait. We wait for the perfect opportunity. We wait until we have the perfect plan. And we recruit. This is bigger than you and me so we will need help,” Meghan answered slowly. “For now we wait. And when the time comes, we bring down Hope Solo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for the second installment of the Klingenmoe Adventures. I hope you enjoyed their ridiculous antics! Thanks for reading!


End file.
